The International Association of Crime Writers (North American branch) awards the yearly [http://www.crimewritersna.org/hammett/index.htm Hammett Prize] for "literary excellence in the field of crime-writing, as reflected in a book published in the English language in the US and/or Canada." See past winners [http://www.crimewritersna.org/hammett/past.htm here.]

The International Association of Crime Writers (North American branch) awards the yearly [http://www.crimewritersna.org/hammett/index.htm Hammett Prize] for "literary excellence in the field of crime-writing, as reflected in a book published in the English language in the US and/or Canada." See past winners [http://www.crimewritersna.org/hammett/past.htm here.]

Contents

About the Author

Dashiell Hammett based his "hard-boiled" detective fiction on personal experiences. Leaving home at 13 and working a variety of odd jobs, he was employed by the Pinkerton Agency from 1915 to 1922, except for a tour as an ambulance driver during the Great War. He quit detective work partly from disillusionment from the agency's participation in strike-breaking.

Sam Spade's office was modeled on Hammet's own apartment in San Francisco.

Hammett's Legacy

The International Association of Crime Writers (North American branch) awards the yearly Hammett Prize for "literary excellence in the field of crime-writing, as reflected in a book published in the English language in the US and/or Canada." See past winners here.